Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

धर्मराज उवाच । अहं देव पुरा शप्तो मांडव्येन महात्मना । स्वधर्मे वर्तमानोऽपि सर्वदोषविवर्जितः

Transliteration

dharmarāja uvāca | ahaṃ deva purā śapto māṃḍavyena mahātmanā | svadharme vartamāno'pi sarvadoṣavivarjitaḥ

Translation

ധർമ്മരാജൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഹേ ദേവാ! പൂർവ്വം മഹാത്മാവ് മാണ്ഡവ്യൻ എന്നെ ശപിച്ചു; ഞാൻ സ്വധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ടിരുന്നിട്ടും സർവ്വദോഷവിവർജിതനായിരുന്നു.”

Word by Word

• धर्मराजः: Dharmarāja
• धर्मराजः: Karta (Speaker/वक्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — ‘धर्मराजः’ (Yama)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech/वचनक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘उवाच’ (said)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — ‘अहम्’ (I)

• देव: O Lord
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — ‘देव’ (O god/lord)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — formerly/once

• शप्तः: cursed
• शप्तः: Predicate (Vidheyavisheshana/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शप् (धातु) → शप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — ‘शप्तः’ (cursed)

• माण्डव्येन: by Māṇḍavya
• माण्डव्येन: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — ‘माण्डव्येन’ (by Māṇḍavya)

• महात्मना: great-souled
• महात्मना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — ‘महात्मना’ (by the great-souled) विशेषणम् ‘माण्डव्येन’

• स्वधर्मे: in my own duty
• स्वधर्मे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन — ‘स्वधर्मे’ (in one’s own duty); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: स्वस्य धर्मः

• वर्तमानः: abiding (in)
• वर्तमानः: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत् (धातु) → वर्तमान (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — ‘वर्तमानः’ (being/abiding)

• अपि: even though
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — even/although

• सर्वदोषविवर्जितः: free from all faults
• सर्वदोषविवर्जितः: Predicate (Vidheyavisheshana/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-दोष-विवर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — ‘सर्वदोषविवर्जितः’ (free from all faults); समासः तत्पुरुषः (दोषैः विवर्जितः) उपपद-समासभावः

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maheśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmarāja, dignified yet burdened, narrates his curse to Śiva—hands folded, eyes lowered—contrasting cosmic authority with personal vulnerability.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Śiva (addressed as Deva)
• Māṇḍavya (sage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas acknowledge the mystery of suffering; even when one follows svadharma, past causes and sage’s words can bind—hence refuge in God.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it is a petition explaining the background of the curse.